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First impressions and curb appeal mean a lot to residents, business owners, visitors/tourists and potential customers. A clean downtown leads to a vibrant, safe space and helps to foster civic pride leading to business, tourism and residential growth.

Keeping our downtown clean is a shared responsibility. We ask that all property owners, businesses and residents in the downtown, join-together to ensure a clean and litter-free downtown.

Property owners and residents must make sure that recycling is set out on time and on the right day. Materials left at the curb, outside of the specified times, may be subject to enforcement. The Region of Durham collects your blue box recycling.

Blue box recycling is collected weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Place materials at the curb no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the night before collection and no later than 7:00 a.m. the morning of collection.

Over the years the City has dealt with issues associated with litter and leakage from broken garbage bags, especially those bags containing food waste from restaurants. As part of our efforts to create a cleaner downtown the City of Oshawa in partnership with the Downtown Business Improvement Area (B.I.A.) is implementing the Downtown Restaurant Curbside Tote Collection Program for restaurants and businesses that produce large amounts of food waste and that receive curbside municipal waste collection services in the downtown core 3 times per week.

Once you have registered and placed your order the City will deliver the tote(s) to your business. Expected delivery timeline is September 2018.

Terms and Conditions

This program applies to restaurants, cafes and business that generate large volumes of food waste and are located within the downtown core and receive municipal waste collection services three times per week. Business owners are required to register their address and order the approved tote(s) from the City of Oshawa. Please ensure that staff and/or property managers understand the requirements of the program.

The following outlines the requirements of the Downtown Restaurant Curbside Tote Collection Program for the municipal collection of garbage.

Before Collection

Mark the tote with your address.

The owner is responsible for cleaning, maintaining and replacing broken totes.

The totes must be stored in a secure location between collections so as not to encourage illegal dumping.

Don't overfill the tote with garbage. The contents of the tote should come out easily.

Garbage must be placed into garbage bags before placing material into the tote. Use a proper garbage bag, which must be strong, properly sealed and contain no sharp objects or materials that would otherwise be collected in the Region's blue box collection program.

Businesses are not eligible for large item collection. Large items such as furniture must be taken handled separately by the property owner/tenant through private collection services or disposal.

Day of Collection

Set the tote(s) at the curb on time and on the right day. Leaving waste at the curb outside of the specified times, including over the weekend, encourages illegal dumping and attracts birds and rodents.

Totes are to be placed at the curb side either the night before, after 6:00 p.m., or the morning of collection day before 7:00 a.m..

Bins must be placed at the curb so as not to block accessibility, movement in and out of stores, parking, or access to city infrastructure, such as benches and trees. Ideally the totes should be placed in a location that is easily accessible by collection staff.

Winter safety. Ensure material is free of snow and ice and is visible to the collection crew. Do not place material on top of snow banks.

After Collection

Totes must be removed from the curb after collection so as not to encourage illegal dumping. Illegal dumping will be the responsibility of the owner.

Secure and store totes in the same area where waste is currently being stored.

Keep totes clean and in good working order.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register for a tote?

Business owners or their designate (Manager) are asked to complete the online form at or contact Service Oshawa at 905-436-3311.

Who pays for the totes?

There is no charge to the business owners for the totes. The City is working with the Downtown Business Improvement Area who has agreed to share the cost of the totes with the City of Oshawa. The only cost for the business will be for any additional bins needed due to damage, vandalism or missing totes.

What size totes are available?

In order to address issues with space and storage, there are two options for totes:

64 gallon (240L) Tote - Fits approximately four standard garbage bags

95 gallon (360L) Tote - Fits approximately six standard garbage bags

Can restaurants choose to share totes?

Where storage space is limited restaurant owners may choose to partner with a neighbour restaurant to share totes. This should be indicated when registering to receive your totes. Those sharing totes should place both addresses on the tote and agree on responsibilities.

Can I have more than one tote?

Yes. Additional totes should be used to accommodate all waste. Please ensure that all waste from your restaurant is able to fit into the tote without overflowing.

What happens if my tote is broken or stolen?

There is a 10 year manufacturing default warranty on the totes. Report damaged totes to Service Oshawa and attach photo of the problem and serial number so that we can work with the vendor to obtain a new bin. Where a bin is damaged outside of the warranty due handling then the City will replace the first tote for free. The Replacements due to damage from vandalism or lost or stolen will be provided at a cost.

How do I order a tote for my Restaurant?

Totes must be ordered by the restaurant or business owner/manager either online or by calling Service Oshawa at 905-436-3311.

Where should I place my tote for collection?

Ideally the totes should be placed in a location that is easily accessible by collection staff. Totes must be placed on the sidewalk at the curb so as not to block accessibility, movement in and out of stores, parking, or access to city infrastructure, such as benches and trees. During the winter months to ensure safety the collection area should be free of snow and ice and is visible to the collection crew. Do not place material on top of snow banks.

When is garbage collected after a holiday?

Following a holiday waste collection occurs one day later for the remainder of the week.

What happens if my business leaves the downtown?

Totes must be left at the property for the new owner who must contact the City.

Will this be enforced?

Yes all businesses in the downtown are required to comply with the City’s Waste Collection By-law (113-2008) and therefore are subject to enforcement. Under the Waste Collection By-law the General Manager of Operations (Director) has approved this tote for municipal waste collection services associated with the Downtown Restaurant Curbside Tote Collection Program.

Eliminate litter

There are many ways that you can help us keep our streets and sidewalks clean:

Set material at the curb on time and on the right day.

Find a suitable location to store and secure your waste between collection days. Leaving waste at the curb outside of the specified times, including over the weekend, encourages illegal dumping and attracts birds and rodents.

On windy days, place material at the curb the morning of collection rather than the night before. Bundle all cardboard and secure material that may blow away.

Use garbage cans during the spring and summer months to help avoid litter from broken garbage bags caused by animals and birds, especially garbage bags containing restaurant food waste.

Encourage smokers to properly dispose of their cigarette butts, outside bars and restaurants, by installing cigarette ash receptacles and clean them regularly.